The Street On Which We Live

The street on which we live looks like this tonight: I think winter has realized that the first Sunday in Advent (more on this soon) was yesterday and so has decided that now is the time to make things look more wintery and Christmasy. So, hello, winter! I'm glad we got winter tires on Friday... makes the daily commute seem slightly less daunting...

Circle of Seasons

The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year by Kimberlee Conway Ireton My rating: 5 of 5 stars By far, the most inspirational and thought-provoking book I've read in a while. I never knew there was so much symbolism and history to learn from the church calendar year. I am totally inspired to try out some of Ireton's ideas. Her anecdotes make the book very readable and her research was carefully done--she even includes a bibliography for further reading. View all my reviews >> First thing up, learning how to do Advent.

Continuing the love affair...

You may not know this, but I LOVE Volkswagens. My first car, a beautiful beautiful Rabbit named Svend, instigated this love. I love how they simply have a different look than a North American vehicle. I like the German engineering. I love how my 25 year old brown beetly front wheel drive diesel purred [except at temperatures below -15...]. And now, from Volkswagon, (We stole this from you, Kevan...thanks for sharing)

Convocation

Oh yes, I sure did graduate with the cap and gown and hood and the whole bit. It was a really great experience...except for the sore legs from standing for an hours before things started, and then sitting for three hours through 500+ students graduating. But to be there as three out of four "Mistresses of History" graduating from our year (see the photograph) and to have finally, finally finished. Wow. But most of all, I was blessed by the love and support and encouragement of so many friends and family. There was no way I would have made it through the program on my own, and I loved that I could share what really was a momentous day with so many of my favourite people. We had some friends and family over in the evening of convocation--mostly people in close vicinity or who I knew wouldn't be able to make an afternoon convocation but who would come to an evening party. Two of my brothers and the third brother's wife drove up; both my parents and my in-laws came; an aunt and an uncle from BC planned their visit so they could be there; an old family friend came; Brent's siblings and in-laws all came; and some of our very good friends from the Calgary area dropped by. They came with hugs and congratulations and hand-made cards and food and FLOWERS and gifts. And most of all, with love. I felt so, so loved and surrounded by caring people. It took me forever to fall asleep that night, I was so busy thinking about what awesome people we know. Thanks, everyone, for your love. And thank you God, for making us relational beings, able to love one another. (My only regret is that we didn't take any pictures of the evening. Bah.)

Throwing out Food

News story for today: Macleans "What a Waste." How much food do you typically throw out? I'm sorry to say that we end up throwing out our share of mouldy or limp carrots and celery... Something to work on.

CBC News - Calgary - Calgary family negotiates homework ban

Interesting comment on our education system. I know at least in the early grades, a lot of school time is actually time socializing children to be together. So why is homework necessary in those cases? Just one more reason I'm interested in homeschooling someday... CBC News - Calgary - Calgary family negotiates homework ban

Blowing Snow

This past weekend K and I managed to slip out of the city for a weekend away in Banff. We'll post a more thorough story of that, but I thought I'd share this one photo. While sitting in Starbucks for a morning coffee I was gazing out across the street and beyond to Mount Rundle. Though Calgary has little (or no) snow, Banff and the surrounding mountains have received a fair amount. The wind was blowing hard that morning and I noticed the snow was flying off the top of the mountain. It was a beautiful site, and I wanted to capture it. The sun was lighting up the blowing snow just right and with the dark clouds behind, gave the photo great contrast. More and more I am learning that to make great photographs you need to be in the right place and the right time, and in this case I think I was in the right place at the right time.

Vocal Notes For Today

Family

Something to think about: "What is family? We are family or not largely because of the way we treat each other...In a true family we honor each other. We do not control, dominate, manipulate. Power is not a family value. Family can be a movable feast. It can be a group of friends sitting around the dining table for an evening. It can be one or two people coming to stay with me for a few nights or a few weeks. It should be the church...Family can be our house churches, our Bible study groups, our prayer groups. Family ultimately means commitment. I am deeply committed to my family, with all its brokenness and fallenness. I am deeply committed to my friends, some of whom have been in my heart since I was a teenager, some who have come more recently. It is the commitment which makes family. The people we eat with, around the altar, or around the dining table at home." --Madeleine L'Engle, Bright Evening Star: Mystery of the Incarnation

Fall Warmth

It can't be November...it doesn't feel like November today. It's not a scarf day. It's not a toque day. It's not even a mitten day. The golden sunlight casts its anti-shadow over the trees and leaves and grass and houses. Making everything warm. Thanks for today.

Peace

A benediction that I remember from my childhood: "Now may the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Amen. (also from Philippians 4). Today we received some good news that gives us a new sense of peace about the future. What has been an emotional week comes to a peaceful and fear-free end. Thanks be to God.

God's Plan

"I don't need to understand miracles now in the midst of my human life. I have to believe that what happens to us will be used in God's plan for the universe. We are again tangled in the contradictions of human free will and God's will, but ultimately God's will indeed will be done." --Madeleine L'Engle, Bright Evening Star: Mystery of the Incarnation.

Mental Photographs

There are so many times on my drive to work that I wish I had a camera in my eyes and could capture an image to share. (Not so much on the drive home...I'm usually fighting to stay awake, let alone pay attention to beauty around me.) Yesterday morning, I was coming down the hill on 14th Street towards 17th Avenue, when a tall coppered church steeple caught my eye. It was lit up in the sunrise, and stood out magnificently against the blue morning sky, the way the church towers in Europe do. Seventeenth Avenue, even further away from downtown, has some lovely buildings, signs and a cultural feel. I wonder how that is all going to change when the C-Train moves in three years from now...

Bittersweet

This is a bittersweet season for reasons that run too deep to explain in a public forum like this blog. But one thing I know from the past couple of days, is that God has placed people in my life who make everything a little brighter. To "brighten up even my darkest night" even when the nights are that much darker now with the arrival of daylight savings time. Whose presence and words seem miraculous in their timeliness.

Today...

Today we went for a walk in Fish Creek Park just because it was sunny. Today we start a months worth of blogging everyday. Can we do it? Sure hope so. Today we got to hang out with some really fun five year olds. Today we visited with some close friends and felt loved and taken care of.

Growing Pains...

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

— Maya Angelou

How Many Ways to Shoot a Ring

I have been taking some photography courses and have really enjoyed them. One is a wedding photography class, but the other is an intermediate level general photography. For the general class I am given an assignment every week. This past weeks was "shoot a product out of its normal surroundings". So I thought for a while and came up with taking K's engagement ring around to different situations at shooting it. It turned out to be fun, till the last shot, for which I sat for 45 minutes taking 200 shots to come out with 5 that were sort of in focus... though in the end its a cool concept. Here are a sampling of what I took.

Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving, and I have so much to be thankful for: - For the leftover apple pie I'm eating right now--my favourite! - For the support and friendship of siblings. - For in-laws who love and support and show incredible generousity and hospitality. - For my job...fulfilling, well-paying and a blessing in the face of so much unemployment. - For our church family that loves, supports, encourages and stretches us in so many ways. - For being done university at long last, having completed everything to the satisfaction of both myself and my profs. - For having enough. Clothes, food, heat. We are provided for. - For physical health. For the ability to enjoy the outdoors; to move and be active. - For my husband, who love, supports and grounds me and with whom I absolutely love sharing life. - For sunshine that makes plants grow, makes things warm and light and makes my heart happy. - For being born into a country with universal health care, democracy, wide open spaces of nature, and relative plenty. - For music and how it expresses my soul. ...and there's so many more that I can't even begin to cover them all. These are just the ones that come to mind especially right now.

Wedding Dress Shots, Take Two

How often does an opportunity like this come along? B's taking a wedding photography class at present, and he volunteered the two of us as models for the informal photoshoot session on SAIT campus. With the provision that my dress still fit. So, two weekends ago, we pulled it out. Fitting into it was no problem. However, there were several other rather large hitches. Major hitch #1 1) The corset-back ties may or may not have been run over as we left the wedding, and may or may not have ripped. Ok, they did rip. In two pieces. And had tire-rubber marks and dirt all over them. Oh yes, and for a few frantic minutes, we thought we'd lost them all together. 2) The dress had been tied up in a plastic bag for four years and was very wrinkled. Especially the lengthier train in the back. 3) I had never had the dress cleaned after the wedding and, seeing as it was an outdoor wedding, it was quite dirty. But at least I hadn't spilled anything on it! Oh well, we thought, these are all overcomeable with a little ironing, sewing and dusting. However, we left all of this until an hour before we were supposed to leave for the shoot along with getting all of Brent's stuff ironed, polished and tied (whoops!). But, thanks to my trusty sewing machine and a little creative cleaning and ironing, we managed to get the dress in working order. So the dress, we figured, was a go. What we forgot to account for, until the day before the shoot, was that I am completely incompetent when it comes to fancy hair doing. Ever wondered why I keep my hair long and at one length? Because it's easy to tie up in a braid or bun. And a bun or ponytail or braid just wouldn't cut it for this situation. So, major hitch #2: I am hair-doing handicapped. However, a good friend of mine stepped in for the rescue. We headed over to her house Saturday morning and while B and her husband visited, she handled the hair situation. It looked GOOD. Definitely as good as the original wedding hair-style, though a way more sophisticated look. (Thanks D!) So, with the addition of my far-east imported pearls (finally a chance to wear them, Rach!), some make-up courtesy of the Body Shop, my warmest leggings and fancy scarf, I was ready for take 2. The dress is now in DIRE need of being cleaned, however. I think I'm going to get dry-cleaned and packed up professionally. I don't think I'll be needing it any time after this. Wearing it once more and getting it extra dirty has been good incentive to get this looked after finally. Playing dress-up was one of my favourite activities as a child. Right up there with reading. Apparently I haven't grown out of either. :D Our real wedding pictures were a bit of a letdown. So hopefully some of the students' images turned out well and they'll pass them along to us. Obviously they won't replace the ones from the real day, but they're a fun alternative. In closing, I have to say I'm a little self-conscious of all the shots of just me, but, obviously, Brent couldn't be in the shots that he took himself. Hopefully we'll have pictures of him too later.

To The Mountains While We Can

Last Sunday we took advantage of the fact that Life Group was canceled and headed out to the mountains after church. The weather was so clear and the colours of the leaves and sky so gorgeous, it was an afternoon meant for hiking. Since we'd never done any hiking in the Bragg Creek area before, we decided to head out that direction and find somewhere to hike. It's not as far into the mountains as we would normally if we were hiking Three Sisters or Bourgeau, for instance, but it was far enough. The hike up Moose Mountain was quite reminiscent of the Coliseum hike out by Nordegg. You make a left hand curve as you hike through the trees and then out and along a ridge for several kilometres. Then up a steep steep incline to the top. At the top of Moose Mountain lies a fire look out station complete with a helicopter landing pad, a mailbox, a clothesline and an outhouse with a view. And a very friendly hospitable fire lookouter. We had lunch on the helicopter landing pad, enjoying the 180 degree view. It was absolutely beautiful in the late afternoon light.The way down was mighty chilly. We could see our breath for most of the journey. I put on every layer I had brought with me and I still lost feeling in all of my fingers. But it was SO worth it. We got down into Bragg Creek at around seven thirty and stopped for some high salt, high calorie snacks for the journey home. A day well spent!